Liberty and American Civilization

3. Lincoln vs. the Constitution

There is no provision in the US Constitution allowing for a dictator. Yet, Lincoln was one. He suspended habeas corpus. Any disagreement with Lincoln was treated as treason. Political prisoners were everywhere, including the mayor of Baltimore.

Three hundred newspapers were shut down. All telegraph communication was censored. Railroads were nationalized. Federal troops were ordered to interfere with elections. Lincoln deported his critics for saying such things in the House of Representatives as “Lincoln spoke with a forked tongue, …the administration is wicked and cunning,…and the purpose of the war was national banks, public debt, high tariffs, and strong government.”

Lecture 3 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.